It's Only Forever
by Fallenangel9005
Summary: Journey into the lives of the creatures of the Labyrinth and their "journeys untold and hardships unnumbered".
1. Chapter 1

" 'Ello sir," a little boy asked his chipped teeth gleaming "may I interest ya in a newspaper today? Only five cents!" Grimacing, the man he was asking slammed his wooden cane on the dirt and huffed indignantly.

"Street rat." The man muttered taking in the boy's tousle of brown hair and dirt smudges on his cheeks.

The boy smiled wearily at the aristocratic man in his finely tailored suit and white hair neatly trimmed. "Oh what I wouldn't do to be rich…or at least have a place to call me home." Clutching limp newspapers against his sweaty palms he continued to call "Get ya newspaper! Only five cents!"

*_Please sir, may I have some more?*_

"Only twenty-five cents today! Has your head gone rotten ya sniveling worm!" screamed the master of the factory his round, pig-like face turning dark pink in anger.

"I'm really sorry sir..." the boy whimpered, shuddering in his filthy, threadbare rags as tears silently began to fall.

"Oh I'll make you sorry son! No food tonight off to bed with you!" with his meaty hands raised into a fist, he slammed the boys bruised face and dragged him to the sleeping quarters.

Everything was dark and damp, from the many leaks of the rotten wood ceiling above. The only thing beautiful was the stars shining through the cracks. The boy liked to think it was his mom and dad checking up and waiting to take their little boy home. Holding the thin white sheets to his scrawny chest he looked up at the stars, "Momma I'm ready, take me home." He whispered.

"Is there rot in ye head Trely?" a boy asked his green eyes squinting cruelly as him and the boys raced up the wooden stair case.

"No Chris I just want to go home…"

"This is our home now, unless ya wanna die like ya ma and pa up there." Chris pointed up to the ceiling his freckled face twisted with amusement "I think I've got a new story to tell ya's."

Trely and the dirt-encrusted boys smiled wickedly and huddled together on the wooden floor as Chris began his entrancing story, "Now I hears this from a man on the street with a big black coat and a raggedy hat, I think he had a little too much to drink he had but the story is good so good 'ol Chris listened." he bobbed his bright red hair approvingly as all the little kids clutched their blackened hands in excitement.

"Once there was a boy, workin' just like you and me. One day, nobody would buy his papers so he had to go home to his master with empty pockets, but he couldn't do that without getting a whippin ya see so he decided to steal from a fancy pants man down the street. The man was a strange one he was, with bright hair and different colored eyes, but anyone lookin at him could tell he was stinking wealthy and you could hear his purse clank with coins." A couple of boys began to drool, their eyes glittering moistly at the thought of a heavy purse in their pockets.

"Anyways, so he goes up to the man and while he's just strolling around the shops, snatches the purse right out of the man's pocket. But the man noticed and quickly turned toward the boy and said, "Hello little street rat, today is your lucky day." The boy was scared he was and began begging and pleading not to take him to jail or worse to his master. "My boy," this odd man declared, 'I understand your fear, such a pity, you can stay with me, or even better curse anybody you can't stand."

The boys huddled closer in curiosity as Chris whispered, "Just say I wish the Goblins would take you away right now and all your dreams will come true."

Everyone began to laugh at that absurd notion and Chris lifted his freckled hands in mirth, "That man had too much ale I think, but Trely wanted to go home so let's try it." The boys laughed pushing the beaming Toby down in front of Chris. "I wish the goblins would take Trely away right now."

Everyone laughed, amused as they looked at the ceiling waiting for the goblin king. Satisfied Chris sighed in mock sadness, "Well guess I won't get me wish."

"Why yes boy I think you are," a man swooped in a profusion of glitter, "time to go young Trely."

Trely began to gasp as a leather clad hand grasped his shoulder.

"But you're….!" Chris screamed as the kids stood frozen in horror.

"The Goblin King." The man replied, his pointed teeth glinting in the starlight as him and Trely faded away.

*_It's only forever…*_

"_So that's what happened missus," the blue worm nodded his tuft blue head nodding vigorously. The pink worm batted her lilac eyes incredulously, "What happened next love?" Trely looked amused as he began sipping tea out of his white porcelain cup, "When I woke up I was this! Scared have to death I was being incredibly small and all, but the king was kind. He told me his name was Jareth and he ruled this place. He gave me a home, riches, best of all you." He snuggled close to his wife's soft body and sighed. _

"_Look love," his wife shouted staring through a tiny window pane, "the stars!"_

_Trely inched up to the window and stared out dreamily, "Hey mom, hey dad, I'm home…." _

**Author's Note: Wanted to write background stories for creatures in the Labyrinth for a while now. I'm hoping to make this into a series! ****J**


	2. Chapter 2

"Fwiend?" a large baby cooed to an apathetic woman. She stared at the pudgy, eager baby clapping his hands happily and swigged more vodka into her mouth. After the divorce and battle to rid the brat from her custody, she was a very unwilling mother.

"No," she sighed pushing her curly brown hair off her forehead, "you brat…" her speech began to slur as she sunk into a tattered couch.

The baby tilted his head slightly and his brown eyes narrowed as if in thought. "Fwiend?" he repeated unable to take his eyes off the decrepit woman in front of him. He toddled toward her, arms slightly outstretched. Her eyes narrowed as she slapped away from the child's eager grasp. "NO!" she yelled her nicotine yellowed eyes narrowing in anger. She wished he would just disappear. Ever since her bastard of a husband caught her and her lover, he had left and all her small town turned against her. _If THAT wasn't bad enough…the guy just had to knock me up." _She ranted in her head while the boy, eager to make his mother smile, continued to pester her.

She seethed and began screaming and waving a bottle in the air, "NO BOY I NEVER WANTED YOU!"

Seeing her mother erupt caused him to cry. He did not understand why mom never wanted to be his friend. Every time she came home from the liquor store, she would ignore his cries for love and slap him instead.

Hearing the wails of her child she snapped, her face began to turn bright red and her hands began to ball into fists. Until she recalled something that in her drunken state made her positive it would work.

_The girl sat by the warm hearth, scattering ashes around her dress and creating dark smudges on her cheeks. Upset, her grandmother took the messy girl on her knee and told her a story. "Look at what you did you messy girl, '' the old woman chastised at the upset little girl," there is a place for naughty children like you. There is a Goblin King who takes all the little boys and girls when the grownups don't want them anymore and I'll I have to do is wish for you little bugger to disappear and turn into a goblin to hide away forever and ever." The woman stopped and sighed as the girl began to sob in fright. "I love you dear, don't worry it won't happen to you, now let's go and get you in the tub you nasty git.''_

Laughing the older woman slurred and pointed her finger at the boy, "Goblin King, take this boy away from me right now!"

Light flashed and all that was left was a spot of glitter where the mother once was and a man standing holding the chubby boy in his arms. "What a disgusting creature," Jareth murmured, his miss-matched eyes twinkling at the spot where the woman once was, "Such a pity." He stared at the little boy and a smile began to grace his lips. _Such a large boy would make a perfect guard for the castle._

The boy stopped his crying at he looked fascinated at the regal being in front of him. "Fwiend?" he asked reaching his little hands into the king's golden locks. Jareth began to bounce the little boy on his knee and smiled.

"Yes I'm your friend."

**Author's Note: **I figured this would be a good place to end Ludo's back story. However, I may right some more later. I imagine these stories just to be little glimpses at characters' lives and anyone could message me on whom to write about next. Hope you enjoy! J


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